Not eligible for benefits, but not well enough to work full time!!

nothappy_001

That's is terrible can you appeal their decisions ? what do they expect you do ?

Pandora wrote: »

No idea where I should post this or if anyone can help, but thought it was worth a try!! Be warned though, it's not fun to read

Basically, I'm not well enough to claim JSA (because I'm not able to attend the Job Centre or work at all the times they say I have to be available due to my disability), but I'm not ill enough to claim ESA (failed my ATOS assessment) and I'm just not eligible for Income Support

I work 7.5 hours a week which is about £200 a month.
I get DLA (higher rate care and lower rate mobility) which is about £400 a month. (Passed the ATOS assessment for this only a couple of weeks before failing the ESA one!!)
I get Housing Benefit which is about £200 a month.
So my monthly income is about £800, but my outgoings are at least £900 a month!
I've used up all my savings, and have almost maxed out my overdraft, and there's no way of me getting any more credit even if I wanted to.

I stopped buying clothes and shoes over a year ago - apart from when I spent £6 on a new pair of work shoes because my other ones were literally falling apart.
My food budget has been reduced to around £40 a month.
I've stopped socialising as even going to a friend's house is going to cost a little bit of money, and there's no way I can afford to have anyone round to my house as that would cost even more.

So I've cut my spending as much as possible but now it's getting to the point where I'm going to have to eliminate spending on everything ever so slightly frivolous in order to pay my essential bills. And when I say 'frivolous' I mean phone, internet, tv, lights, heating, food.......

All this is really affecting my mental health (on DLA for bipolar and anxiety amongst other things) which means I've been missing work a lot which is now putting my job at risk. I'm not sleeping and spend most of my days and nights crying, I'm having suicidal thoughts again, and just don't know what I can possibly do to improve the situation.

I just don't think I have it in me to go through the hell of trying to apply for ESA or JSA again as I'm pretty sure I will just get rejected again.
I'm not really up to leaving the house and I'm struggling to even make phone calls. All I have is the internet.

Things are getting worse day by day and I have no idea how much longer I can survive.

If anyone has any advice at all it would be much appreciated.

lemontree

Best wishes Pandora!
I admire the fact that you trying to overcome your disability by working.
Have you a Disability Advice Centre in your area?
They could always advise you by phone if no local office.